Multihulls have never been more popular. In-water boat shows now dedicate huge amounts of space to them and sailors are interested in them for more than just chartering. Sailors who want to spen

 The Catalina 36 hits a sweet spot among weekend cruisers. It’s big enough to be comfortable and capable, but small enough to easily manage it shorthanded and it comes at an approachable price.

Installing solar and wind power is easily than ever and gives you greater freedom to take your boat off the grid.

I am going offshore this winter and the skipper said I need a specific inflatable life jacket, one with crotch straps and a spray hood. The problem is that I’m finding it hard to find one that incorporates both of these. Any suggestions?

I would like to install a battery monitor that will show the state of the charge of my batteries. I have basic mechanical and electrical skills and would like to try to install it myself. What’s the best way of doing it?

 I recently had a scary experience on my boat when my PSS dripless prop shaft seal began to leak in a rather dramatic fashion.  The water rose above the floorboards. I was able to get it under control and later consulted with the boatyard, determining that the shaft collar was not correctly installed. The stainless ring on the prop shaft slipped and allowed water to enter the boat.

Dear Boat Doctor, There are some deep gouges in the bottom of my boat that I need to fill when I pull the boat out. I have used epoxy in the past, but it was a pain to thicken and to

 Dear Boat Doctor, I want to install two solar panels on top of my bimini and I am a little confused about how to hook them up. Each panel has two black plugs on it and my charg

My Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 40 came with running rigging lines that all seemed needlessly long. The extra line adds to the difficulty of housekeeping, and in rough going sometimes creates a mess under foot that creates what I would call a hazard.  After a few years, I cut all lines to their longest useful length.I have two friends with similar-sized boats, and they have many feet of extra line that ends up piled on the cabintop. They are resistant, saying “You never know when you will need it,” or “The rigger left it for a reason.”  How do you see it?

Dear Boat Doctor, I sometimes get a little lazy when sailing my Catalina 36 and just use the roller furling genoa. I endure a bit of ribbing on the dock for this, but I’ve also been told that I’

Dear Boat Doctor, I need to replace the batteries in my house bank. They are about 6 years old and just don’t seem to hold a charge as long as they used to. But how do I know what type to buy? 

An unreliable electrical system is seldom dangerous but can be a major inconvenience. The good news is that new, affordable technology and good old solid electrical engineering can combine to make a n

 I just bought a new-to-me Baba 40. I love the boat and have spent lots of time cleaning it up and just making it mine. It came with a nice Bruce anchor, one of the original well-built ones. I really like the anchor but it could look better, it’s pretty rusty. Can I have it galvanized or can I paint it?

Dear Boat Doctor, I installed a new engine in my boat a few years back, but the control panel often stops working. I suspect this has more to do with the amount of water in the cockpit than the cont

Dear Boat Doctor, The teak decks on my boat are failing. I love them but they are washboarded and thin enough in places that the caulking is just falling out. I need to do something about them but I am not quite sure what. What are my options? 

Dear Boat Doctor,  I was looking around my bilge and saw that the seacock on my shower drain looked odd. I grabbed it and the threaded portion of the through-hull broke off! 

The time will come when you need to give your deck hatches some attention. Those little drips when it rains or when you have a deck washer passage are your first clues. 

The water on my boat is really hot. How do I keep it from overheating?